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White Walkers
The White Walkers are a mythological race mentioned in ancient legends and stories from the time of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. The legend has it that 8,000 years ago, a winter known as the Long Night lasted a generation. In the darkness and cold of the Long Night, the White Walkers descended upon Merrimor from the farthest north, the polar regions of the Lands of Always Winter. None knew why they came, but they killed all in their path, reanimating the dead as "wights" to kill the living at their command. Eventually the peoples of Merrimor rallied and in a conflict known as the War for the Dawn, they managed to defeat the White Walkers and drive them back into the uttermost north, where they supposedly have disappeared. In the present day, most believe they never existed and are just myths, spoken of in the same breath as ghosts, grumpkins, or snarks. Even the few who believe they did once exist think they went extinct thousands of years ago. Certainly, none were seen for thousands of years after the Long Night. Characteristics While having an overall humanoid appearance, White Walkers differ greatly from humans. They are taller than humans and have long wispy white hair. They have pale grey-white skin which is wrinkly but stretched taut across their frames, giving them a somewhat gaunt and mummified appearance despite their overall bulky size. Their most notable trait, however, are their glowing blue eyes. Abilities White Walkers possess the magical powers related to ice and cold. Their arrival is usually accompanied by blizzards and the dropping of temperatures. They can also freeze anything they touch. White Walkers also have superhuman strength. They wield swords and spears made from unique ice crystals. However, one of their most deadly abilities is to reanimate the dead as their servants, known as "Wights". They are actually capable of reviving any dead animals as wights, as a few White Walkers have been seen riding undead horses. They cannot, however, revive a corpse into servitude if the fallen creature have died by fire. Once the Wights have been risen to serve the White Walkers, their eyes turn an icy blue, similar to the White Walkers' own eyes. Wights can only be killed by fire and serve the Walkers without question. Master White Walkers, possess the ability to change humans into White Walkers,with a single finger upon their cheek, causing their eyes to glow blue and their skin to grow pale, taking on the appearance of the White Walkers. Weaknesses The only known weakness that the White Walkers have shown thus far is the ability to be killed instantly when struck with weapons made of dragon glass, or also called "Obsidian". Upon being stabbed by dragonglass, a White Walker's body will begin to freeze into ice from the point at which it is was stabbed, causing the Walker great pain. Finally, it will begin to fall apart, as its now icy body shatters until there is nothing left but powder.